New Jersey Devils: Reliving Nico Hischier’s Best Moments After All-Star Game
By Andy Studna
3. First Overtime Winner
After recording two game-winners during his rookie campaign, Hischier was searching for his third and first in overtime the following season. A Dec. 14, 2018 home-bout against the Vegas Golden Knights set the stage.
The Devils entered this matchup against the Knights with 19 losses in their first 29 games. With the season quickly slipping away, the Devils went down 3-0 to the Knights in the first nine-plus minutes. Devils goaltender, Cory Schneider was pulled in favor of former Devil, Keith Kinkaid after allowing three goals on just seven shots.
Eventually, the Devils found themselves down 4-1 in the second period. From there, they rallied by scoring three-unanswered goals from forwards Miles Wood, Kyle Palmieri, and Brett Seney to force overtime. With the Devils searching for their first win beyond regulation that season, Hischier delivered. He scored off a beautiful individual effort in front of Vegas goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury’s crease to seal the win. However, the celebration was delayed as the initial pass from former Devils forward, Marcus Johansson appeared to have forced Nico offside by a fraction of a step. After review, the play was upheld, and the goal stood.